ContemporaryTrends on opinio juris and the Material Evidence of International Customary Law

Abstract

This essay aims to discuss how international law can make sense, based on the current state of the art, in the face of future developments.What characteristics does it have to have to face the challenges posed by the emergence of the current postmodern, interdependent, multipolar and increasingly complex world context? What is new in the current international context is that, in addition to the individual level of action by States, be it unilateral, bilateral and multilateral, there is a growing area for the formation and development of common consensus. In this context, the opinio juris should no longer be understood as an individual opinion of one or certain States, but today as collective declarations, issued by the international community, as a whole or a substantial part of them.